Bioload question

[MikeYQM]

So, more of a general theoretic question I have:

Why don't corals, especially those that require feeding, contribute to a tank's bioload (in terms of a max stocking quantity like fish do)? Are they more efficient at digesting food than fish, thus creating less waste? Or is it as simple as being a function of a reduced feeding schedule compared to fish?

I ask because I have a large elegance coral and just added Duncan's & frogspawn which I feed weekly with prepared foods along with Reef Roids, Snow etc for the SPS & Softies.

 

[Animal-Chin]

Probably depends on how much you feed them. I feed my coral daily and feed them mysis shrimp, they have to poop sometime. My sun coral is a pig, eats more than my fish most days. I think everything that eats - poops. Rule of nature no?

 

[carey]

I would also worry about the food you are feeding the corals. That in of itself is creating waste, I don't feed my corals and they do just fine. The only ones that need feeding are non photosynthetic corals like the sun polyps.

When I was feeding my sun polyps in my pico I had an awful time with parameters as reef snow and those other foods can muck up your water.

 

[Patrick93]

I only use coral frenzy 1-2 times a week and haven't had water issues and hopefully won't

 

[MikeYQM]

I feed a bunch, don't have water issues though. That's not my question, but more theoretically why don't corals & other inverts contribute to the "max" bioload of a tank?

 

[MBliss81]

Good question. I would suspect that along with minimal waste and feeding being less frequent, they also use less oxygen than fish. It’s also interesting that inverts contribute significantly less to the bioload of a tank.